Danish studio Cobe has won a competition to design a new library for the University of Gothenburg. The architects presented a design inspired by the pages of the book.

Ekaterina Karpukhina

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The 16,000 m2 library will be located on the university campus, near the center of Gothenburg. The design is a cube with curved edges and resembles a page of an open book. The snow-white facade with striped elements enhances this feeling.

Outside, the building will be covered with light ceramic panels that will work as sunscreens blocking the sun’s rays that are dangerous for books. Cobe architects have tried to make the library open and welcoming. On the one hand, it harmoniously fits into the surrounding landscape, but on the other hand, it still stands out and serves as a kind of “beacon of knowledge”.

Regardless of which side you approach from, the building seems to invite you to go inside. The building will house the existing libraries of humanities, art, music and theater disciplines of the University of Gothenburg.

The building will include Sweden’s first fully automated book depository with a system that independently extracts and delivers books to readers.

The lower floors of the library will be paved with concrete and granite, and the upper ones are completely made of wood — this material was chosen not so much to create comfort, but to reduce the carbon footprint.

Library on the COBE project in Copenhagen in the lens of Hufton + Crow

Photo: Cobe

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